“The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine.” – Mike Murdock

Here are four daily habits to make you happier, healthier, and live a more fulfilled life –

MAKE TO-DO LISTS

This will change your life, I promise you. Making a to-do list daily will increase your productivity level, decrease your stress level, and help you accomplish your goals.

Depending on what works best for you, make a to-do list either the night before or first thing in the morning. Don’t make this list in your head, but write it down!

Get out a piece of paper and a pen and write down:

The five most important things that you need to get done today.

Put these in order of when you will do them. Do the task first that will not necessarily take the longest but require the most energy.  For me, working out is always number one on my list. No way after I do my laundry and go grocery shopping will I have the energy to do any sort of workout.

It’s better to crush these high energy level tasks out first rather than wait around all day and not do them.

Be realistic with what you can accomplish and the time that you do have. These lists are not meant to overwhelm you but instead guide you.

If you know your week is going to be absolutely crazy, then on your to-do list for Sunday, plan to go grocery shopping and clean the house. Stop kidding yourself that you will do it Tuesday or Wednesday when you know you are going to come home from work exhausted and not touch your laundry and order in dinner because you have no groceries.

AND the best part of making lists is crossing off the tasks once they are finished.  No matter how big or small your jobs may have been, you did them, which is worth celebrating.

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WAKE UP EARLY

Okay. This is something that, over the years, I have watched so many YouTube videos on and read books about.

Every time waking up early was mentioned, I always brushed it off as something that I didn’t need to do. It wasn’t until I actually started waking up early that I was like HUH … wow, it actually does make a difference. WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT (not me!!)

Now I am not saying you need to wake up at 5am to be successful, because I can guarantee you, I am not waking up at 5am. BUT I am saying to stop wasting your mornings sleeping in.

Your energy level is so much higher, and that time spent sleeping can be now be spent doing the tasks on your to-do list. There is no better feeling than already doing your workout and grocery shopping, and it is only 9am. ‍

I really feel like an adult when my mornings look like this. 18-year-old Amanda sleeping in until 1pm would be so proud of my 24-year-old self. LOOK AT ME NOW!! But seriously, waking up early is a daily habit you want to practice. It will definitely be tough the first couple of weeks because your body is not used to getting up at that time, but start slow and be realistic.

Set your alarm 30 minutes earlier than you usually would.  Don’t set your alarm for 6am when you typically sleep in until 11am – because you already know while setting it, you ain’t waking up girlfriend!!

Gradually over time, your body will start getting used to it, and you will never look back.  This is a daily habit that will benefit you in SO MANY positive ways. And when in doubt … a little coffee (or two) doesn’t hurt.

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EXERCISE DAILY

Move your body. Get active. You will NEVER regret it!

People hear this and automatically think that exercising and working out every day has to be this intense ab workout or a 5km run around the lake. Nobody has ever said this – instead, you are  just already making excuses as to why you can’t get off the couch and move your body. It is a proven fact that even just being active for 15 minutes a day will improve your overall health and well-being.

Exercising daily can look like:

Taking your dog for a walk around the block.

Getting out an old skipping rope and skipping in your garage.

Going for a bike ride with your partner or kids.

Doing a couple laps in the pool.

I cannot emphasize enough how much of a positive impact, exercising daily has not only your physical but also mental health. Get in the habit of adding physical activity into your daily routine and watch all the positive benefits of it! I can guarantee you that after going for a bike ride or doing a quick at-home workout, you will be less stressed, motivated, and feel damn good about yourself!

Challenge: Dedicate 15 minutes minimum today to some sort of physical activity. Add it to your to-do list! 😉

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READ EVERY DAY

Growing up, I was never into reading, I actually hated it. Book reports in high school? AH, only my worst nightmare!! I can confidently say that every book assigned to read, I maybe read the first couple of chapters.

Who remembers actually reading To Kill A Mockingbird, Julius Caesar, or Macbeth? If you did, just know that I am very impressed. I would like to personally take this time to thank Spark Notes for all those weekly summary assignments they helped me on.

FAST FORWARD TO TODAY where I could spend HOURS in a bookstore.

Reading is such an incredible blessing that I encourage every single person to do every day. It strengthens your brain, you learn an incredible amount of information, and gain such a new perspective on so many topics. Not only this, but reading relaxes your mind and reduces stress. You can read the newspaper, a magazine, or perhaps that book you got for Christmas and still haven’t started.

BUT the important thing here is to read something that actually interests you and sparks curiosity.

What topics are you into?

What do you want to learn more about?

Don’t look at reading as a chore and pick up the first thing that you see. Of course, when this happens, you are already going into the experience disappointed and bored while doing it. Maybe go to a bookstore, spend some time there, and pick out some books that really resonate with you.

Challenge: Make a list of topics that you would love to learn more about. Do some research and buy some books that excite you!

I just read Modern Mindfulness by Rohan Gunatillake, and I highly recommend it! I linked the book here.

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LETS RECAP.

DAILY HABITS INCLUDE:

1. Make to-do lists
2. Wake up early
3. Exercise daily
4. Read every day

Take this time to think about your daily habits currently. Are they helping you grow and be more productive?  Are they increasing your stress level?

The four daily habits mentioned in this blog will make you happier – I promise you.

They may be small changes, but they are what is going to influence your future.

“Small daily habits will lead to long term growth.” – Unknown

Thanks for reading – Four Daily Habits To Make You Happier

Rose x